Akshat Pratap Singh, a 21-year-old man from Lucknow accused of murdering his father and dismembering the body, has confessed to his crime during an interrogation, police officials have said.
Akshat allegedly shot dead his father, Manvendra Singh, 50, on February 20 following a dispute. He later chopped the body parts, disposing the severed hands and legs and allegedly hid the torso inside a drum.
Days after the murder, police have revealed that the accused wanted to cremate his father alone. More details have also emerged about stolen money, drugs and some contradictory statements of victim’s relatives.
Investigators are now also scrutinising what they describe as contradictory statements and the “unusually calm” behaviour of family members who were present in the house when the killing allegedly occurred, HT earlier reported.
Police sources said several actions and claims made by those inside the four-storey residence in Sector L, Ashiyana, from the time Manvendra Singh was allegedly shot dead until Akshat’s arrest, have raised serious questions.
Money stolen, sour relations and another death
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Jitendra Kumar Dubey said the accused, Akshat, had been angered with his father.
“Prima facie, the root of the incident appears to be anger over his father repeatedly pressuring him to focus on studies and clear the NEET medical entrance examination,” Dubey said, according to PTI.
According to officials, Akshat told police that if given the opportunity, he would have cremated his 50-year-old father alone, NDTV reported.
Days before the alleged killing, Akshat had reportedly stolen jewellery and cash from the house and blamed the maid for the theft. A neighbour alleged that he used the valuables to buy expensive gifts for his girlfriend and to indulge in debauchery, adding that Akshat’s father was aware of the relationship.
“He was addicted to drugs, which troubled Manavendra,” he added.
The cause of his mother’s death also remains unknown and is considered suspicious.
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Suspicious behaviour of family members investigated
A day after the alleged murder, the victim’s brother, a head constable with the UP Police posted in Lucknow – reportedly left for his native village in Jalaun with his wife and two children. The family resided on the second floor of the same Ashiyana house.
When questioned, they told investigators they did not realise a gunshot had been fired, assuming the noise was wedding firecrackers amid the ongoing wedding season. Police said they are verifying this claim.
Investigators also found the conduct of Akshat’s younger sister, a Class 11 student, striking. Despite allegedly witnessing the shooting and subsequent dismemberment, she continued attending school and appeared for examinations in the days that followed.
DCP (Central) Vikrant Vir said the accused had threatened to kill her if she disclosed details of the crime. “The sister witnessed the entire episode, but was intimidated into silence,” he said, adding that the teenager’s testimony is crucial to the investigation, HT earlier reported.
What is the Lucknow drum murder case?
Police said Akshat initially claimed his father had travelled to Delhi. He later filed a missing person complaint on February 20, portraying himself as a concerned son.
Authorities traced Manvendra Singh’s last mobile phone location to his pathology lab in Kakori, but inconsistencies soon emerged in Akshat’s statements.
An officer said Akshat was arrested for allegedly shooting his father, dismembering the body and concealing the torso inside a drum at the ground floor of the Ashiyana residence.
DCP Vikrant Vir earlier said Akshat allegedly shot dead his father, Manvendra Singh (50), at around 4.30 am on February 20 following a dispute. Police said the accused later chopped the body in an attempt to destroy evidence, disposing of the severed hands and legs at different locations across Lucknow while hiding the torso in a drum inside the house.
Police confirmed that the accused has confessed and that the weapon used in the crime has been recovered. A forensic team has examined the scene and collected evidence.
